THE FARMER REMEMBERS THE SOMME' " THE STORY WELL WRITTEN"..

 The Farmer Remembers the Somme’

When trawling through libraries that bulge with books chronicling the Great War, it’s always a treat to undercover a piece of writing that truly moves me. 

And this rare writing possesses the qualities of: sober clarity; simple words to conjure up strong imagery; telling insights into the human condition; and the ability to immerse you in its narrative. 

Vance Palmer’s ‘The Farmer Remembers the Somme’ possesses all these qualities. I still remember feeling winded when I first read its final verse: 

‘I have returned to these:

The farm, and the kindly Bush, and the young calves lowing;

But all that my mind sees

Is a quaking bog in a mist - stark, snapped trees,

And the dark Somme flowing.’

An aspiring writer, Palmer enlisted in the AIF in 1918, but never saw active service. He returned home and penned his verse in 1920. 

It acutely captured the mood of returning veterans ‘not being able to settle down’ or ‘having a go at everything’ because they weren’t sure what to do with their lives. 

What Great War writing moves you? 

Like my posts? Then you’ll love my books!

‘Pozières: the ANZAC Story’ 

‘This is a staggeringly good first book.’

- The Canberra Times

‘Night In Passchendaele’ 

‘Bennett makes a brilliant foray into fiction … a must read’.

 - Better Reading 

‘The Nameless Names: recovering the missing ANZACs’ 

‘This is an admirable book, superbly researched and insightfully written’.

- Ross McMullin, Author of Pompey Elliottt 

 Thanks for reading, leave your thought in the comment section below. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BULGARIAN SOLDIERS POSING FOR A PHOTOGRAPH WITH EXHUMED CORPSES OF SOLDIERS ON THE MACEDONIAN FRONT

Image
 Bulgarian soldiers posing for a photograph with exhumed corpses of soldiers on the Macedonian Front, April 1918. Today 105 years ago, on September 15, 1918, the Allies launched the Vardar Offensive on the Macedonian Front, leading to Bulgarian surrender and the liberation of Serbia. By September 1918, the Germans had withdrawn their forces from the Macedonian Front, leaving Bulgaria isolated against the combined forces of Serbia, France, Britain and Greece. The Allies planned for a final offensive to knock Bulgaria out of the war, or at least force them to new defensive lines. On the left flank, the French, Serbs and Greeks would attack the fortified Dobro Pole mountain, while on the right flank, British and Greek forces would attack at the Lake Doiran, and on their left the French would attack by the Vardar river. On September 15, 1918, following an artillery bombardment of 566 guns, Serbian, French and Greek forces launched the Vardar Offensive against the Bulgarian 1st Army in ...
Read more

CHINESE COUPLE MARRY AT AGE 94 AFTER REMEETING FOR FIRST TIME IN NEARIY 70 YEARS

 Chinese couple marry at age 94 after remeeting for first time in nearly 70 years A Chinese couple who have known each other since they were 16 years old have finally tied the knot after being apart for nearly 70 years. Xu Guizhen and Cao Zhenwei, both 96 years old, were born on the exact same day in 1926.  Their fates were intertwined due to the close friendship of their fathers, who started and operated a photo studio together in Weihai, a city in eastern China’s Shandong province. The two families ultimatelymoved to Shanghai and brought their business with them amid theSecond Sino-Japanese War in 1937. After their relocation, Cao began working at the photo studio alongside Xu’s younger brother. Cao met Xu at the studio, and they became friends. Xu's father liked Cao and hoped he would marry his daughter one day, but the boy was already engaged at the time. The two eventually lived separate lives after Xu’s family moved to another province years later. Xu moved back to Shang...
Read more

THE TERRIBLE STORY OF THE WOMEN HANGED FOR 21.48G HEROINE " MALAYSIAN ROSHAMIMA ROSLAN

Image
 Malaysian woman to hang for 21.48g heroin Malaysian Roshamima Roslan A Malaysian couple who were due to get married drove into Singapore two years ago with 21.48g of heroin bundles in their car. The pair were caught, charged and put on trial. On Friday, the High Court acquitted Mas Swan Adnan, 27, but sent his fiancee Roshamima Roslan, 24, to the gallows for trafficking in 15g or more of the drug. In his judgment yesterday, Justice Steven Chong said the prosecution had to prove that the two of them knew exactly what sort of drugs they were bringing into Singapore. Justice Chong said the evidence showed, however, that Mas Swan believed his girlfriend when she told him that the bundles contained Ecstasy pills. Roshamima's claim was not believable, the judge said, adding that the prosecution proved that she knew that illicit drugs were hidden in their car when they entered Singapore. When Roshamima was put on the stand, she failed to give testimony that she believed the bundles to co...
Read more